Fifteen girls and three boys have bragging rights today that they are more than ready for whatever challenges baby-sitting might throw their way. They are the 2013 graduates of the Safety Council's once-a-year Home Alone training and baby-sitting certification class.

Danielle Oliveira, a 13-year-old student at Sierra Middle School, was most impressed with the CPR course. It was the most difficult area of the training and the new skill set that makes her proudest.

"The best part was how to handle different situations and medical emergencies," Oliveira said. "The most challenging was learning the different methods of CPR - it's different for infants, children and adults."

Sitting nearby, Calvin Abbott, also a Sierra Middle student, struggled with trying to fold a diaper into a geometric shape. "This is hard," said the 12-year-old Abbott.

In the background, instructor Lyndee Riley said, "The baby is little, the diaper is large. The diaper is a rectangle, the baby is not."

Abbott's body language made it clear that taking the summertime course was a means to an end. "I am not allowed to stay home alone unless I take this class."

Riley, the Home Alone instructor for 19 years, is the Stockton-based Central Valley Safety Council's president and chief executive officer. The organization started in 1934.

On Friday, the final day of classes, she covered car-seat safety, telephone etiquette, dealing with parents, learning how to set fees and how to handle your own feelings.

Riley used role-playing to replicate telephone conversations. She was the fussy mom and Gale Zoe, Malia Johnson and Leanne Haner were the hopeful baby-sitters in three mock exchanges.

Riley peppered the class:

» Establish how the potential parent knew to call you.

» Ask how many kids in the family. And their ages.

» What time do they want you to arrive - and when will they be home.

» Be ready to establish your experience level.

» Most important - "to avoid the awkward moment" - determine ahead of time the rate of pay. And be willing to negotiate.

Even with the input overload, the students agreed that the class was more interesting than they expected.

"Everything was interactive, so it was fun," said Madyson Hamilton, 12, a student at Commodore Stockton Skills School. "It was hands-on."

Kayla McGee, on the recommendation of her great-grandmother who lives in Stockton, came from Sacramento to learn the ABCs of baby-sitting.

Her favorite part of the training?

"We got to actually use one of the dummies for CPR training," she said. "Kind of like real life. And now I know how to do it."

Mid-morning Friday, the 18 youths sat attentively during a short film on how to avoid food-borne illnesses. It wasn't specifically aimed at a young audience, but the video's explanations of cleaning, separating, cooking and chilling foods was easy to follow.

Riley's goals remain the same with each year's class of trained-and-ready-to-go baby-sitters.

"I want them to be able to speak with adults, to understand what constitutes a safe environment, to be ready for the initial contact and to have a strong work ethic."

Mission accomplished - with a bit of math, science, culinary training and social interaction tossed in for good measure.